Chapter 60 : Ascension

Chapter 60: Ascension

One hour after Jang Woo-hyun disappeared.

“Jang hyung!”

“Hyung-nim!”

Jin Ha-un and Hwang An rushed into the annex.

“Is he practicing another martial art again? I could see a pillar of light shooting up even from far away. If he found something good, he should share it instead of hogging it to himself.”

“Do you think you could even learn what Woo-hyun hyung is learning? Your talents aren’t on the same level.”

“Hey, I was a promising talent back in the Beggars' Sect, alright? And why do you always have a problem with everything I say? Jang hyung, say something. Your younger brother's—... Jang hyung?”

As they stepped inside, the two looked around the empty annex. No matter where they searched, Jang Woo-hyun was nowhere to be found.

“Where did he go? Seriously…”

Still uncertain, they checked the building several more times before stepping outside—and that’s when they noticed an object left on the table.

“Heaven-Dominating Divine Armor?”

Jin Ha-un picked up the manual and flipped through it.

On the back, there was a hastily scribbled note, as if written in a rush. Just that one line told him everything he needed to know about this martial art.

‘A secret manual left behind by the Conqueror King!’

It was the martial art of Chul Geuk-jin, one of the Eight Lords.

And on top of that, annotations by Jang Woo-hyun, who was greater than even the Eight Lords, had been added—making it unimaginably valuable. It would not be an exaggeration to call it a once-in-a-lifetime secret manual.

“Hyung-nim, just where have you gone?”

Leaving behind only a manual of immeasurable worth, Jang Woo-hyun had vanished.

Only Jin Ha-un’s voice echoed throughout the empty annex.

Jang Woo-hyun was flying through the light.

‘So this is why they called it "up"...’

A space surrounded by nothing but pure white light.

Within that, he kept rising upward.

He had no sense of how much time had passed.

Was it a day? Three days? A month? He couldn’t tell. His perception of time itself felt distorted.

‘Maybe not even a whole day has passed.’

He wasn’t uncomfortable, so Jang Woo-hyun simply entrusted his body to the flow and continued ascending.

And then, when he had risen quite far—

Shaa!

Suddenly, a part of the space split open, and something burst out from within.

‘What the hell is that?’

A giant.

Its height was nearly two jang, and its entire body was made of silvery metal.

It looked like a person covered in mercury. Although it had a human shape, it had no eyes, nose, or mouth.

Even without eyes, the creature looked around as if searching for something.

At the sight, Jang Woo-hyun drew Dragon King’s Scales. Whatever that thing was, he felt he shouldn’t face it with Flying Swallow Sword.

But—

“Huh?”

Dragon King’s Scales was gone, and only the broken Black Wilds Sword remained.

Chak. Chaaak.

Without his command, the blade scales of Dragon King’s Scales wrapped around Jang Woo-hyun’s body like armor, as if to tell him this was a time for defense, not attack.

“Hey, why are you doing things on your own…?”

Guuuung.

The space trembled, and Jang Woo-hyun stopped mid-sentence, pulling out Flying Swallow Sword instead. Since he couldn’t use Dragon King’s Scales, he had no choice but to fight with Flying Swallow Sword.

‘Should I strike first?’ he thought.

But the creature moved first.

Kwaaang!

“Gah!”

The attack was faster than expected, and he couldn’t react in time. If Dragon King’s Scales hadn’t protected his body, he would’ve been crushed completely.

From the impact, Jang Woo-hyun was sent flying in the opposite direction—falling as if crashing toward the ground.

“You crazy bastard…”

Holding onto his fading consciousness, he tightened his grip on his sword. It was too fast to react to, but he couldn’t die just like this.

The creature paused for a moment—and then a massive mouth formed on its face.

As it opened, a gigantic sword emerged from within.

A greatsword the size of the giant’s own body.

Pulling a sword like that from its mouth defied all laws of physics, but this wasn’t the time to question such things.

The space itself, the silver giant—all of it had already thrown logic out the window.

Buuuuung!

The creature swung its sword powerfully.

To avoid its trajectory, Jang Woo-hyun kicked off into the air.

Kwagwagwagwang!

As if an invisible wall existed in the space filled with light, a deafening sound echoed as one part tore open.

The giant’s strike had caused a massive rift, and everything around it began to be sucked inside.

Jang Woo-hyun was no exception.

The overwhelming pull left him unable to resist, and he was dragged into the rift. There was nothing to grab, nowhere to place his feet—he couldn’t fight it.

Ku-deudeudeuk!

“Urgh!”

The moment he emerged on the other side, an enormous pressure pressed down on him.

The surrounding air—or perhaps some other force—felt as if it were trying to crush him.

Feeling the pressure, Jang Woo-hyun immediately activated Holy Heaven Radiance-Flow Armor, and only then could he catch his breath. He quickly scanned his surroundings.

‘Space?’

It was different from the light pillar.

Like outer space, like the night sky, a pitch-black void filled with glowing stars spread before him.

Even here, Jang Woo-hyun was caught in some kind of current, flying in a direction not of his choosing. Brilliant lights of every color rushed past him like lines or pillars.

Kugugugung!

The sound drew his attention, and he stopped observing to refocus.

He immediately drew in energy and released Qi Projection.

But this was not Earth.

The pressure that filled the space shattered all the Qi he emitted.

‘So this is why Dragon King’s Scales moved like that.’

If he couldn’t project Qi, he couldn’t wield Dragon King’s Scales properly.

Perhaps the blade, which had a will of its own, had understood this—transforming and clinging to his body rather than remaining a weapon.

With no other option, Jang Woo-hyun gripped Flying Swallow Sword tighter and focused on the light pillar ahead.

Kwaaang!

A deafening sound erupted as the silver giant broke through the pillar of light and appeared once more.

‘Now!’

He couldn’t run away anyway—and didn’t plan to.

Besides, even if Jang Woo-hyun could kick off into the air, he was still someone used to fighting with his feet on solid ground. Combat in this space placed him at a disadvantage, and he couldn’t even use all of his abilities.

Still, Jang Woo-hyun chose to strike first.

He judged that once the creature emerged from the pillar, it too would suffer from the pressure of this space and wouldn’t be able to adapt immediately.

Paaang!

Jang Woo-hyun kicked off the air and closed the distance.

He immediately thrust his sword.

The opponent wasn’t human, nor was it a monster. It might not even be a living creature at all.

Not knowing its vital points or weaknesses, Jang Woo-hyun opted to suppress it with raw force.

He unleashed Destruction Severing Slash.

Kwa-gwang!

It was followed by Seven Rings Five-layered Barrier and Black Wolf Fang: Cross Blade.

Then, another punch—one that also carried the energy of Destruction Severing Slash.

Kwa-ang! Kwaaaaa-ang!

Even after that, Jang Woo-hyun unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks, as if trying to drain every last drop of Qi from his Dantian.

The immense shockwaves rippled outward. The space itself trembled under the rain of blows.

Pakang!

Eventually, Flying Swallow Sword broke.

Though it had reached the level of a treasured blade, it couldn’t endure the overwhelming power Jang Woo-hyun was pouring into it.

Kugugugu—

The storm of Qi still raged. Jang Woo-hyun kicked off the air and widened the distance.

He then allowed his body to be taken by the flow that led ‘upward’ again.

Riding the current, he quickly moved away.

In the place where the Qi storm had subsided—

Down below lay the shattered silver greatsword and the silver giant, its head and upper torso blown away.

“Got it— no! No, no, I take it back!”

He had accidentally said the one thing he shouldn’t have.

And sure enough, the monster that heard the resurrection trigger began to regenerate—its wounds squirming and knitting back together.

“Ah, damn it…”

Its arm regrew, then the head slowly began to form again. But this time, the head wasn’t round.

It was cylindrical.

‘A cannon?’

It looked almost like a cannon, and Jang Woo-hyun guessed right—inside the cylinder, red energy began to swirl.

‘This is insane.’

The genre was changing on him. Just a while ago, he was in a traditional martial arts world, and now a bizarre metal creature had appeared.

And it was an extraordinarily difficult opponent at that.

To increase his speed, Jang Woo-hyun repeatedly kicked within the current.

The monster, seeing this, didn’t budge. It simply waited for the red energy to charge.

Before long, the cylinder turned toward Jang Woo-hyun, and a red beam fired.

‘That’s ridiculous—huh!’

As he kicked through the air, a faint image came into view.

A scene different from the void of space.

A blue sky and what looked like a floating island.

Jang Woo-hyun hurled his body toward it and summoned all his remaining Qi.

Chwa-reureuk!

Sensing his thoughts, Dragon King’s Scales shifted into motion and formed a massive shield.

Like a reflection over a lake, the faintly visible scene drew closer, and just then, the red beam engulfed the space behind Jang Woo-hyun.

KwaaAAAAAAANG!

“Urgh!”

A deafening roar shattered a section of space with the red beam's destructive force, and Jang Woo-hyun was thrown into the place he had just glimpsed.

‘The silver...’

It was the same "silver" mentioned on the stele left behind by the Demon God Blade Kim Min-soo.

That was this creature.

‘He should’ve explained this better…’

Still dazed from the shock, Jang Woo-hyun lost consciousness and was sucked into an unknown space.

[Sixth Entry

This might be erased again, so this time I’m leaving it properly.

I don’t know who you are, but if you came from the same place as me, you likely possess outstanding abilities.

You’ve probably undergone rapid growth and surpassed the Absolute Realm.

If so, then you’ll eventually reach this place too.

When you ascend, beware of the silver giant.

Do not react to it.

That creature is an avatar sent by a True Immortal from the Upper Realm.

I didn’t realize it at first, but for some reason, that True Immortal is targeting me.

There’s no other connection I can think of. The only reason must be because I’m someone from another world.

And if you’re reading this, then the same applies to you.

I will find traces of that being. I will uncover who they really are.

Let’s meet again up there.

Remember this. Don’t react—just ignore it.

If you ignore it, it won’t attack.]

In his dream, Jang Woo-hyun encountered a red serpent.

Taller than a grown man, the snake coiled around his body and dragged him into a deep, lightless darkness.

Whether it was just a dream or some kind of mental entrapment, Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t resist the giant serpent.

Just as his consciousness began to fade—

Suddenly, a massive hand pierced through the darkness and seized the serpent’s neck.

What followed was a fierce battle between the enormous hand and the serpent, right beside Jang Woo-hyun. Then, another hand appeared, grabbing Jang Woo-hyun and pushing him toward the brightly lit side of the void.

In his fading vision, he saw the back of a man.

The man, still grappling with the serpent, glanced briefly at Jang Woo-hyun.

“Remember! When you go up, the explo—”

A language that now felt unfamiliar.

The man spoke to Jang Woo-hyun in Korean.

He had clearly been trying to explain something, but Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t understand the words.

No—he couldn’t even recall what had happened here.

The memory vanished, and Jang Woo-hyun’s consciousness rose past the darkness and into a world of light.

In a dreamlike mental space—

Jang Woo-hyun, now awake, reflected on his defeat.

His first crisis at Cloud Sword Sect.

The demon Ha Jung-do, whom he had fought at the Shangguan Family’s auction house.

The cultist Gi Il-gwang of the Demon Cult.

Each had brought him to the edge of danger—but he had overcome them all.

But this time was different.

This time, he had been utterly defeated.

Though he had driven the silver giant back, that was all he managed.

He couldn’t stop the regenerating creature’s attack. With his current strength, he couldn’t match it.

‘That’s what Kim Min-soo was referring to.’

The “silver” written on the stele—was that silver giant that attacked him.

Whatever the reason, the mysterious silver being had its sights set on him.

The road made of light.

The outer-space-like realm he had seen beyond it.

That place was the path upward mentioned by Kim Min-soo and Tang Myung, and the silver giant had interfered with his attempt to ascend.

‘Is it trying to stop me from going up?’

From the very first step, an enemy had appeared. And it was a powerful one, whose identity remained a mystery.

Naturally, Jang Woo-hyun had no intention of giving up now that he had come this far. He would ascend, follow the traces of Kim Min-soo, and seek out the being that was targeting him.

Having reached his conclusion, Jang Woo-hyun opened his eyes.

His consciousness, which had sunk into deep slumber, gradually began to rise to the surface.

For a brief moment, he felt a strange sense of dissonance.

As if something had been left out.

He had a fleeting sense that a certain memory had vanished, but it passed so quickly that Jang Woo-hyun didn’t dwell on it.

Murmur, murmur.

As his consciousness returned, he heard someone speaking.

“…sen-nim, ple… wake…”

“Please… come to… us…”

As sensation returned, Jang Woo-hyun slowly opened his eyes.

The scene that greeted him was so unexpected that he wondered if he was still dreaming.

‘A raccoon?’

Beside it was a fox. What was even more bizarre was that both the raccoon and the fox were dressed in clothes and sitting upright before him.

‘What is this…?’

“Oh? Oh oh! The Immortal has awakened!”

“Waaah!”

And they weren’t the only ones.

There were three raccoons and two foxes.

The five of them recoiled in surprise.

Strangely, all five were standing on two legs instead of four.

Then above them—he saw the sky.

Far in the distance, what looked like floating islands hovered in the air.

“Where am I…?”

One thing was for sure: this wasn’t the Central Plains.